Israel/Greece Day 14

Today was largely a travel day. Last night we drove south from Macedonia to the region known as Thessaly. Our journey probably paralleled Paul’s third missionary journey, but we can’t know his route for sure.

We started our day with a visit to Meteora, a stunning display of God’s glory in nature. These rocks testify to the creativity and majesty of our creator.

Atop many of these rocks are monasteries that date back to the 16th century (some even earlier). Originally monks lived in caves in the rocks, but as more came to the area they were forced to move on up. We saw remarkable reliefs in a 16th century church. They reminded us of the dire need for the clear explanation of the Word of God.

From Meteora we continued south. We took time to stop at Thermopylae, the site of the incredible battle between Greek and Persian armies in 480 BC. The Spartan king Leonidas held the line with 300 Spartan and 700 Thespian warriors, allowing the remaining Greek soldiers to withdraw for another day.

At long last we arrived in Athens, looking forward to visiting Corinth and Mycenae tomorrow and then Athens on our final day of touring.